


Hiatus

by sophinisba



Category: Merlin (BBC)
Genre: Community: camelot_fleet, Gen, Humor, Meta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-09-07
Updated: 2009-09-07
Packaged: 2017-10-05 20:23:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/45724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophinisba/pseuds/sophinisba
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin and Gaius get ready for season 2.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hiatus

**Author's Note:**

> For cherrybina's prompt "Arthur, Merlin, summer" at a camelot_fleet party.

And then, after all those months when it seemed that every _week_ there was some new sorcerer or monster trying to kill Arthur or get Merlin to reveal his magic, suddenly there was nothing. Which Merlin thought was all right, since Arthur needed time to recover after the Questing Beast, and Merlin wasn't about to complain that he finally had time to keep up with all the work Arthur and Gaius expected of him, that he could even get by without using magic most of the time, that he wasn't in fear for his life on a daily basis, or that he hadn't been to the dungeon in nearly three months (not even to visit!).

He'd earned some peace and quiet, after all. In fact, he was probably responsible for it, what with his having heroically defeated the evil sorceress and dismissed the dragon and all. He rested. He relaxed.

He got bored.

Because it was all very good, labelling herbs and delivering medicines and polishing armour that wasn't even being used, except that one summer day was as long and hot as the next, and life at the castle was increasingly dull, much like the weapons he'd stopped bothering to sharpen. Besides that, it had been ages (or at least weeks) since Arthur had clung to Merlin's hand like the lifeline it was, or had declared to his father that he would do anything to protect his friend, or had even, really, taken any notice of Merlin at all.

He wasn't about to _complain_. But he might, possibly, have started to sulk a little.

Then one day in September Gaius said, "It will be starting again soon."

"What?" Merlin said intelligently.

"The dark magic, the attacks…and the retributions."

"I thought we were done with that now. Since I…since Nimueh isn't around anymore."

Gaius seemed to shake with scornful laughter more than to actually laugh. "You are not 'done' with your destiny, Merlin."

"I am. I saved him. I restored peace to the kingdom."

"This hasn't been a peaceful kingdom since before Arthur was born," Gaius said, shaking his head. "No, all you did was to survive your first year in Camelot, and made sure Arthur did as well."

Merlin could have said, _And Gwen, and Morgana, and Uther, and my mother, and you,_ but he kept quiet.

"The summer has been calm," Gaius continued, "but every summer is. Surely you realise that it was only a retreat, a breath...a hiatus, if you will."

"You're not serious," said Merlin.

"Dark wizards need a chance to stop and rest, and to mourn for their dead, as much as we do. But every autumn since the purge, they've come back stronger. I fear their anger at the loss of Nimueh, and the interference with the balance of life and death, will make this year the most dangerous yet." He paused. "And Arthur will need you. Will you be ready?"

Merlin nodded slowly and then stretched his fingers, and a thrilling current rushed through them, even without any spell or purpose to give it direction. Gaius frowned at him but Merlin couldn't help grin, bouncing on his heels in anticipation. "Oh yes," he said, "I'm ready right now."


End file.
